GDHQNHL15_2pg-Chicago Blackhawks 2

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Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya.
Hjalmarsson is known for his
shot-blocking prowess as he got in
front of 157 shots last season while
Oduya averaged slightly over 20
minutes on the ice as they form a
solid and steady defensive pair.
Goaltending
As a tandem, Corey Crawford
and Antii Raanta combined to
allow an average of 2.58 goals
per game in the 2013-14 season.
Crawford outperformed those numbers during the regular season as he
impressed the Western Conference with a 2.26 goals-against average,
good for ninth best in the NHL, leading to 32 wins that placed 10th
among all goaltenders.
The concern for the Blackhawks regarding Crawford is how he
played in the postseason. His save percentage decreased as he went from
.917 in the regular season to .912 in the playoffs. His goals-against average
also jumped up almost a quarter of a goal as it rose from 2.26 to 2.53. His
play against the Los Angeles Kings was especially concerning. In that
series, he had a save percentage .900 or above only twice in the series,
with the low coming at .800. Crawford will have to prove he is over these
struggles if the team is to contend for another Stanley Cup this year.
Raanta proved to be a capable backup as he is expected to continue in
that role in the upcoming year. He posted a respectable 2.71 goals-against
average while coming away with 13 wins in the 25 games he played (22
starts) last season.
Power Play
With a team loaded with as many superstar players as the
Blackhawks are, you would imagine that whey would consistently have
one of the top power-plays in the league. The team improved in that
facet last year as they jumped up from 19th in the league with a 16.6
percent success rate in the 2012-13 season to 10th last season by scoring
on 19.5 percent of their opportunities.
With Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane leading the way on the powerplay,
as each player put the biscuit in the basket with the man-advantage
ten times, the Blackhawks are primed to be an elite power-play team.
With the addition of Brad Richards, this group will have another
player that has flourished on the point in the man-advantage situation.
Whether he plays on the first or second power-play unit has yet to be
determined, but he will make a difference.
Penalty Kill
If there is one glaring weakness that the Blackhawks have had in
three of the last four seasons is their play on the penalty kill. Last season
the team finished 19th in the NHL after finishing third during the 2012-
13 season, despite having one of the better defensive forwards in all of
hockey in Jonathan Toews. (57)
Not all is lost though for the team from Chicago. While the team has
had its difficulties on the penalty kill, the team has the ability to turn the
tables on the opposition in a blink of an eye. With Toews and Marian
Hossa on the kill, both scored three goals each to be among the league
leaders in that category. Toews had five points in total while his team was
shorthanded, tied for fourth in the league.
Prediction
A team with this much firepower will almost assuredly make the
playoffs. How deep they go will be determined by the play of
goaltender Corey Crawford and the performance of their special
teams units. A potential run to the Stanley Cup finals is not out of
the question with this all-star cast.
Scoreboard
2013-14 2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10
PLAYOFF FINISH Conf Finals Stanley Cup
Champions
Conf QF Conf QF Stanley Cup
Champions
REGULAR SEASON 46-21-15 36-7-5 45-26-11 44-29-9 52-22-8
POINT TOTAL 107 77 101 97 112
SHOOTOUT RECORD 6-8 7-5 7-7 6-5 9-6
GOALS SCORED 267 155 248 258 271
GOALS ALLOWED 220 102 238 225 209
POWER PLAY % 19.5 16.6 15.2 23.1 17.7
PENALTY KILL % 81.5 87.2 78.1 79.2 85.0
Duncan Keith
Richard W. Rodriguez/Fort Worth Star/Getty Images